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Jesmond Old Cemetery - Culture, Conservation and the Community.

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Project Type: Green & Clean Community

Area: North East

Awarded: £800

Status: In Progress

Project Details

Jesmond Old Cemetery, originally known as Newcastle General Cemetery, was designed by John Dobson and opened as a private cemetery in 1836. Often described as the ‘Highgate of the North’, it contains a wealth of social history, particularly in relation to Newcastle’s Victorian founding fathers. Applicant Ray Hayes had a book about the Cemetery which grabbed his interest, but when he went to investigate, it was so overgrown that the original pathways had disappeared under grass and weeds and a number of the Grade 2 Listed structures were in a state of disrepair. So he organised the Friends of Jesmond Old Cemetery to undertake the work of clearing away unwanted vegetation and restoring the Cemetery to something of its former glory. Their It’s Your Community award will contribute towards garden tools and materials and also help equip the Lodge with items such as tables, crockery and a kettle so hard-working volunteers can stop for a cuppa.